I started setting up my equipment at around 1 am at the PAGASA Astronomical Observatory in preparation for the relatively rare lunar occultation involving Jupiter and 4 of its brightest satellites, an event which also coincided with the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Fellow astronomy enthusiasts from the UP Astronomical Society and also some walk-in guests were there to observe.

Jupiter a few minutes before it disappears behind the moon on August 12, 2012 as observed from Quezon City, Philippines. This image is a post-processed screenshot taken from the video timer setup.

The following video was taken with my timing setup: Canon 450D attached to a Sky-Watcher 100 ED refractor, with the camera’s video output fed onto a video time inserter (IOTA-VTI) and then recorded using a laptop. Unfortunately, the clouds rolled in during ingress, thus, I was not able to completely document that part. This video however, shows Jupiter a few minutes before the predicted time that it would ‘disappear’ or ‘hide’ behind the moon.

The sky cleared up a bit during egress, and thus I was able to take a photo and a video of Jupiter as it emerges from behind the moon.

Jupiter emerging from behind the moon on August 12, 2012 as observed from Quezon City, Philippines. This image is a post-processed screenshot taken from the video timer setup.

I also took some long-exposure images to reveal Jupiter’s moons.

Jupiter and its moons emerging from behind the moon at around 3:30 am on August 12, 2012, as observed from Quezon City, Philippines.

It was also an opportunity to capture a close-up view of Jupiter, and a beautiful planetary alignment involving Jupiter, the moon, and Venus.

First Jupiter photo this season! Image taken with a Logitech 4000 web camera through eyepiece projection method using a 4-in f/9 refractor and a 25 mm eyepiece. For more photos of Jupiter, click here.

Jupiter-Moon-Venus alignment taken with a DSLR-on-a-tripod using a 50 mm/f1.8 prime lens. For more photos of planetary grouping, click here.

Not much of a show for this year’s Perseids. Only 7 meteors per hour was the local predicted rate. I was only able to count two, but my fellow enthusiasts counted more than a dozen. Here’s a group picture which concluded our observation:

With members of the UP Astronomical Society during the Perseid meteor shower observation and the lunar occultation of Jupiter

Clear skies everyone!

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